Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol have one thing in common with Lakers fans:

They are not happy.

Howard is not happy because he got just five shot attempts Monday as the Bulls defense smothered the Lakers. Gasol is not happy in his role coming off the bench. It’s the latest in a season-long trend of frustration for pair.

Like many a wayward production in Hollywood this is not the script the All-Star big men thought they had signed up to shoot. The Lakers thought they would come together quickly, fit the pieces together and be threatening the Thunder by now. Not being a lottery team at 17-24.

Howard sounded the most frustrated after his five shot attempts — something that’s a trend as he has had single-digit shot attempts in three straight games (to be fair, he was tossed from the Toronto game). Here is what Howard said after, via Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register.

“Look at the stat sheet,” Howard said. “Look at the stat sheet.”

Asked how he can get more shots, Howard said: “It’s simple. Play inside-out.”

Asked if it is out of his power, he said quietly: “Just continue to play. Not get frustrated. As hard as it is, can’t get frustrated.”

Little late, he looks frustrated. Howard also has looked dispirited the last couple games. Clearly his back still bothers him some (maybe he shouldn’t have pushed to be back at the start of the season) but he still put up good numbers early in the season despite the physical limitations. Now he just seems disengaged at times, going through the motions. He was supposed to be a defensive backstop and he seems to have lost that edge.

“I’d love to and I want this to work for us. I feel like I’m a part of this team and part of this franchise. I love to play here for as many years as possible because I identify myself with the team. I want it to work.”

Gasol could find his in this new role as a sixth man if he embraces it (ala Manu Ginobili) and finds he places he can make plays in the system. He needs to demand the rock more — tell Kobe Bryant to set him up — if he wants it. As much as coach Mike D’Antoni needs to do more to fit Gasol in the system, Gasol needs to meet him halfway and find his spaces in the new offense.

The Lakers star big men need to look in the mirror.

But so does Lakers management.

They knew their roster was a poor fit for D’Antoni’s system when they hired him (if they didn’t, the Lakers have bigger problems) and that frustration from their big men would be part of the price. Management made this move anyway thinking it is best for the long term but knowing (if they watched him in New York at all) that D’Antoni doesn’t bend the system much to fit the players. Management knew roster moves would have to come.

The ultimate question is just how frustrated is Dwight Howard getting? So far there has been nothing but hints he plans to re-sign this summer with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent. But at some point, will the losing start to change that? Management had to know that was a risk when they hired D’Antoni, too.

Where’s the Cavaliers down by one point with nine seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Rodney Hood took it upon himself to take what he thought would be the last shot for Cleveland. Hood danced around the defense before finally taking a jumper from the free-throw line, which bounced softly off the rim.

Nance, battling down low for the rebound, worked his way free for a tip-in as time expired.

What counts as collusion these days in the NBA? What counts as tampering? It’s hard to say, but the league office takes a look at each and every comment like the one LeBron James made on Tuesday about New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis.

Speaking to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, James said it would be incredible if Davis were somehow able to make his way onto the Los Angeles Lakers. This slots into the rumor around the NBA that LA is stockpiling its young core to be able to trade for a player like Davis.

“That would be amazing,” James told ESPN on Tuesday before the Lakers’ 115-110 loss to the Brooklyn Nets. “That would be amazing, like, duh. That would be incredible.”

There’s nothing much here that LeBron said that isn’t factual. Davis is a 5-time All-Star and one of the best players in the NBA, a unicorn not unlike LeBron himself.

The NBA is certainly hoping that the Lakers can get their act together and put a powerhouse around James at Staples Center. How he does it is up for debate, although making comments about current players probably isn’t the best idea. James has been able to keep his mouth shut for the most part, but perhaps talk of Davis is just too tempting.

But was Harden called for a travel by officials? No. At least, not at first.

Video of Harden’s ridiculous shuffle was circulated on social media after the Houston Rockets beat the Utah Jazz, 102-97. Harden was asked about the move by media, and said that he wasn’t going to tell on himself, which is fair enough.

On Tuesday the official NBA referee Twitter page decided to comment on the play at hand, admitting that they had made a mistake and had missed a travel.

Via Twitter:

The offensive player gathers the ball while on his right foot. He then takes a step with his left foot (step 1) into a hop step, landing first with his right foot (step 2) and then illegally with his left (step 3). We missed this one – it is a traveling violation. https://t.co/BqMAoZHgIu

Having a Twitter account hasn’t always worked out for the NBRA. Their explanations of what many would consider to be violations have often stood in the face of common sense. To that end, they’ve sometimes been mocked on social media, which is against their goal of having the social channel in the first place. But this play with Harden was a particular sore subject with fans around the league, and it was right of them in to make a comment.

LeBron James is seemingly and ageless wonder. The Los Angeles Lakers forward is still one of the most athletic players to ever grace an NBA court, and despite his obvious physical decline, that’s not to say he’s a slouch out there. He’s not exactly late-career Boris Diaw just yet.

But LeBron is now 34 years old, and as such there are other players on the floor with him at any given time that have a bit more bounce than The King. James found that out the hard way on Tuesday night as the Lakers took on the Brooklyn Nets in New York.

During a play early in the first quarter, James drove to the basket only to be rejected by Brooklyn’s Jarrett Allen at the rim.